You're reading: Melnychenko refuses to testify against himself

During the questioning at Pechersky District Court in Kyiv, Former State Guard Department Major Mykola Melnychenko refused to answer questions, referring to his right not to testify against himself. 

As Valentyna Telychenko, the lawyer for Gongadze’s widow, Myroslava Gongadze, told Interfax-Ukraine, the court on Tuesday continued to question Melnychenko as a witness in the case of former chief of the external surveillance department of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry Oleksiy Pukach, the main suspect in the case of the murder of journalist Georgy Gongadze.

“Melnychenko refused to answer almost all the questions, referring to the Article 63 of the Constitution of Ukraine that gives a person the right not to testify against themselves or relatives,” she said.

According to the lawyer, the court has not finished questioning the ex-major.

The next court hearing will take place at 11:00 on Dec. 12.